Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Inside the confined cavern, two overwhelming auras clashed violently, sending shockwaves reverberating through the space. The chaotic energy surged wildly, even affecting the nearby teleportation arrays.
Any reckless Qi Refining cultivators who dared enter were instantly blasted back, coughing blood as they slammed into the walls. Those at mid-to-late Qi Refining barely managed to stay standing, while early-stage cultivators were sent flying like ragdolls, dragged away by their smarter companions.
Despite Cao Dinghua's unstable spiritual energy and his forbidden-art-boosted strength, he was still a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But Su Min—armed with her Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, top-tier equipment, and Nanming Lihuo—fought him to a standstill.
Their battle was like a storm sweeping through dry leaves—Qi Refining cultivators didn't even have the right to spectate.
[Mystic Firewood Sword—Blazing Sword.]
With a flick of her wrist, Su Min's sword erupted in flames, and six more fiery wooden swords materialized around her. Blazing with Nanming Lihuo, they shot toward Cao Dinghua from all directions. Wood fed fire—making the attack even deadlier.
(If only these swords were made of Eastern Azure Wood, the effect would've been truly terrifying.)
"SHATTER!!!"
Seeing the flaming swords closing in, Cao Dinghua didn't dare block them head-on. After exchanging blows with Su Min, he knew how terrifying she was. So instead, he spread his arms wide, summoning a gigantic spiritual scythe. With a fierce slash—
He shattered all the incoming swords. The resulting spiritual shockwave sent debris flying.
[Mystic Firewood Sword—Solar Annihilation.]
But Su Min's assault wasn't over yet. A massive circular array appeared before her as she channeled her spiritual energy into it. Then—
A devastating energy cannon blasted forth.
"ARGHH—!!!"
Cao Dinghua, still recovering from the sword barrage, took the full brunt of the attack, crashing into the ground with bone-shattering force. The only reason he lasted this long was that Su Min wasn't going all out. She had been holding back, carefully managing her energy expenditure.
Why?
Because Cao Dinghua couldn't hurt her. There was no need to waste trump cards on someone who posed no real threat. Once his forbidden art's duration ran out, she could kill him at her leisure.
Sure enough—
Cao Dinghua's aura began rapidly dimming. His boost had expired, and his power was crumbling. His face twisted in horror. If he couldn't defeat Su Min even with the boost, what hope did he have now?
"If you kill me, my parents will never let you go!" He roared in desperation.
"A child birthed through secret arts, one unworthy of stepping into the Golden Core Realm… and you dare threaten me? Be gone."
Su Min's voice was flat, her gaze cold. The Golden Core stage marked the divide between mortals and immortals. A single Golden Core cultivator could support a minor kingdom for centuries.
Out of a hundred Body Refining cultivators, maybe half would reach Qi Refining. Out of those, a dozen might enter Foundation Establishment. But for every hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, perhaps only one could survive the Heavenly Tribulation and break into the Golden Core.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
That tribulation was the true gatekeeper. Without a firm foundation, there was no hope. And Cao Dinghua? He was just a disposable pawn. Not even worth a ripple of concern. She'd never intended to let him live—and now, after daring to threaten her, Su Min no longer held back.
A torrent of Nanming Lihuo burst forth with renewed fury. The temperature in the cavern skyrocketed in an instant. Even those in nearby chambers could feel the scorching waves washing over them, wiping the color from their faces.
Crack—
Suddenly, a sharp fracture echoed through the air. The room Su Min stood in shattered.
Cao Dinghua plummeted into the darkness below. Su Min flinched—Foundation Establishment alone shouldn't have damaged spatial formations like these. But Nanming Lihuo was different. As a flame uniquely attuned to weapon forging, it possessed a destructive resonance with many types of magical constructs. She had inadvertently struck a critical point—and shattered the entire space.
"Tch... don't tell me I've triggered some hidden difficulty."
Staring into the boundless darkness beyond, Su Min furrowed her brows. They were still within the estate—or rather, this was likely the true core of the estate. Only by destroying one of the chambers could the inner realm be revealed. She hadn't known.
Had she realized it earlier, she might've reconsidered. The system interface had clearly listed this as a five-star difficulty zone…
"No use crying about it now. I need to find him. His enhancement's over, and Foundation Establishment cultivators can glide for short bursts—he shouldn't be dead."
Su Min quickly refocused. What was done was done. For now, she had to press on. She hadn't landed a fatal strike yet; Cao Dinghua was likely still breathing. The fall wasn't shallow—but it wasn't enough to kill him.
With that thought, her flaming wings retracted, and her body dove downward like a comet. Within moments, she descended into a strange and wondrous landscape brimming with heavenly treasures and rare resources. The sight gave her pause.
There were countless spirit herbs and materials—some of which even she couldn't use yet. In one corner, a small mountain of spirit stones gleamed, with even the outermost ones classified as mid-grade.
Compared to this, everything outside was trash.
"This must be the true treasury of the estate's original owner… Calm down, Su Min. Don't let greed cloud your mind. I still need to find that bastard. I don't want to start a fight with the real owner of this place."
She muttered quietly, dragging her gaze away from the treasures. Though tempting, it was obvious these were cultivation resources left behind for someone specific. She was still trespassing. Greed would only hasten her death.
"There—his aura's nearby."
Locking onto his weakening spiritual signature, Su Min quickly gave chase. Within moments, she arrived at what resembled an altar.
Cao Dinghua was already there. He looked utterly wretched—burned from head to toe, barely clinging to life. His spiritual energy was in tatters. Yet he knelt in front of a large crystal, hand trembling as he slowly raised it toward the surface.
"You bastard…"
Seeing her arrive, his expression twisted in hatred. He hadn't just lost—he had been exposed. Exposed for what he truly was: a disposable tool, doomed to be cast aside. Someone who would never reach the Golden Core Realm.
Humiliated, cornered, he reached for the crystal.
"Stop!!"
Su Min's heart jolted. She tried to intervene—but she was a moment too late.
With a loud slap, Cao Dinghua's palm struck the crystal. And spiderweb fractures spread across its surface.